Borrowed Time
by Wolf in the Walls
Summary: Fiction is the truth inside the lie, and the truth that Link and Sheik are searching for is not so simple to find, escpcially when their truth dances with corpses.
1. Rose Red Snow

**Borrowed Time**

I am Anshi-chan.

This is my fic.

The first one in a while.

And for the record, I own no LOZ rights and that…

Sheik and Zelda are NOT the same people.

Winter is a strange thing eh?

Cold and cruel yet kind.

Now I digress…

This is a winter story.

Scarf!

It's red and pretty.

The first chapter is _Clowns_

It's a cross I need to bear.

Again…it is winter…

A season of death and rebirth.

The pain of death is winter…

Snow is the sky dying.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**Borrowed Time**

**Rose Red Snow**

_Can you see me now?_

It seemed that winter had just begun and would never end. Link disliked winter. Everything was cold, dark, and dead. Winter was a lonely time as well. Birds had flown; animals were hiding away, except the city wolves. But Link was always alone in winter. He wished that winter would be over and done with, but it was a strand of time that he would never be able to destroy.

_Can you see me now?_

Link was outside, fresh fallen snow up to his ankles. His boots did manage to keep him warm though. He had no real winter clothes, but what he wore insulated him nicely. The only alteration to his outfit was a red scarf that he had received as a gift from Saria a few weeks back. It was almost comforting. Link continued his walk, wandering to nowhere in particular. He was just out for a walk.

_All this weeping in the air_

There was no way that Link would be home before nightfall, but he didn't seem to care. He had a sword and shield with him, and he was confident in his skills. Twilight descended, and the blues and blacks and grays of a full moon night were beginning to grow and take their nighttime shapes. Link sat down on a tree stump and watched the shadows grow.

_Who can tell where it will fall_

_Through floating forests in the air_

He felt a drop of liquid on his knee. He looked, and there was a dark liquid on his hang. He removed his right hand gauntlet. There was a triangle shaped wound on the back of his hand. He watched in horror as his skin ripped open to trace through the triangle and create a bloody Triforce. Red blood fell silently onto the snow.

'_Cross the rolling open sea_

Link bit his lower lip, trying to ignore the pain that he felt. He held his hand, as if there was a way to stop the bleeding. Liquid flowed, it dripped, rippled, and poured from the wound.

_Blow a kiss, I run through air_

_Leave the past, find nowhere_

Link's ears perked up as he heard strange music. He looked behind him to see a strange woman dancing on the snow.

_Floating forests in the air_

_Clowns all around you_

She was tall, and her long black hair was parted perfectly down the middle. She wore a strange dress, long and light gray with two long slits in the front, tracing all the way to her visible red corset. The dress was high collared and long sleeved, with perfect ruffles on the edges. There were skintight pants that ruffled at the ankles as well. She was barefoot. As she danced closer, Link saw two black cat ears, and glowing green serpent eyes.

_Clowns that only let you know_

_Where you let your senses go_

She stopped once she got close enough. She placed one pale hand on Link's blood. A jolt of electricity surged through Link's body. He cried out and looked back at the woman. Her eyes narrowed slightly before licking his wound clean. She laughed quietly before fading into the shadows and vanishing.

_Clowns all around you_

_It's a cross I need to bear_

Link looked down at his Triforce wound. It was scarring over, almost instantaneously. Link stood up and slowly headed for home.

_All this black and cruel despair_

It was morning when Link got home. He wrapped his hand in a bandage before climbing into bed. In his dreams, he heard the strange music, like a harp played with bones and clicking on gravestones. He saw the glowing green eyes and heard the innocent laughter. The strange woman danced through his dreams, a seductive ballet in the cold.

_This is an emergency_

_Don't you hide your eyes from me_

Link woke the next morning, having slept through the day, watching the stranger dance through his dreams. He stretched and got dressed. He checked the scar on his hand. The scar looked ominous, like a divine warning. It hurt to the touch, but Link covered it again and stepped out into the winter again.

_Open them and see me now_

A certain yellow fox with three tails was sitting on his porch. Link sighed.

_Can you see me now?_

_Can you see me now?_

"What do you want Keaton?" Link asked.

"I only wish to warn you. The scar you have is not normal. It is a sign of far worse things to come."

_Can you see?_

"I picked up on that."

_Can you see?_

"And the woman…follow her only if you desire the truth inside the lie." With that, the Keaton vanished. Link sighed.

"Sure. Fine. Whatever." Link rolled his eyes and headed off to Kakariko, hoping to dig up some information about the strange woman.

_See me here in the air _

Link remembered the sound of bones in his dreams, and slowly headed to the graveyard. It was being watched over quite well. The graves were cleaned and dried, the paths were shoveled. Everything looked perfect. Link closed his eyes and laughed momentarily.

"I know you're there Sheik. You can come out now." He said.

_Not holding onto anywhere_

"You're getting better." Sheik said, dropping down to plain sight.

"I have to be." Link said.

"Show me your hand, Link. I know it's injured." Sheik said. Link sighed and removed his gauntlet.

_But holding on so beware_

Sheik inspected the scar carefully. He seemed distressed by it. Link wasn't sure what to do or say though. Sheik gently traced his finger over the lines. Link winced slightly.

"I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that this isn't supposed to happen."

"No, really?" Link said sarcastically.

"Maybe you're reacting to something."

_I have secrets I won't share_

"Something like what?" Link asked, putting his gauntlet back on.

"Something like I don't know." Sheik said, looking pensive and scary.

_See me here pushing you_

_If I then deny I do_

"The Keaton warned me." Link said.

"What did he say?" Sheik asked.

"He said that it's a bad omen, that something bad is going to happen soon…"

"Did he say anything else?"

"Something you wouldn't understand." Link said, trying to not bring up the stranger.

_Contemplate our wish away_

"Try me, I'm gullible." Sheik said, crossing his arms like a dissatisfied mother.

Link explained everything about the woman he say, and the dreams. Sheik took a moment to think about it. He ended up with nothing.

_If I ask you not to stay_

"I'll go off and gather information. Someone around here must know about a grave dancer." Sheik said before vanishing.

_Clowns that only let you know_

_Where you let your senses go_

Link returned home. He spent many an hour looking at the scar. He thought about everything that had been said. The Triforce was good, right? How could it be bad? There was nothing bad about the Goddesses, right?

_Clowns all around you_

_It's a cross I need to bear_

Sheik returned to the graveyard for a moment, to make sure all was well. But it was there when he saw her. The dead rose from their graves, playing music with their bones. The cat-eared woman was dancing on the graves. She was graceful and elegant.

_All this black and cruel despair_

_This is an emergency_

But when Sheik blinked, everyone was gone. The graveyard was silent once more. Sheik raced off, looking for someone who can tell him about what he had just seen.

_Don't you hide your eyes from me_

_Open them and see me now_

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Chapter one! End!

More to come!


	2. Invitation to a Dance

**Borrowed Time**

Chapter two!

_Breathe No More_ By Evanescence!

Dancing away

There are legends

And all that fun stuff.

A clean grave

An unmarked headstone

But all may be undone

She has eyes

And she has nervses

She has ears

She has teeth

They'll all get what they deservses

When she comes from underneath

MWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

So there.

9482734982374934565683658658465856

**Borrowed Time**

**Invitation to a Dance**

_I've been looking in the mirror for so long. _

Sheik appeared at Link's door around noon. Entering, he found Link staring off into space, like he had misplaced his soul and was in a persistent vegetative state. Sheik waved his hand in front of the distant blue eyes. There was no reaction. Sheik sighed and resorted to smacking the hero on the back of the head. As usual, it worked.

_That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.  
Oh the little pieces falling, shatter._

"I'm okay!" Link said, blinking a bit.

"You lie. Anyways…I found things you might find interesting." Sheik said, pulling up a chair.

"Enlighten me."

_Shards of me,  
To sharp to put back together._

"It's a long story." Sheik said.

"I'm ready."

"Alright. The dancing, cat-eared woman you saw is known as Areylyn. Some say that she is the ghost of the Nekoi race, the cat-people who used to live on the distant shores of Lake Hylia. They were a peaceful race, and aided Hyrule in the past..."

_To small to matter,_

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming." Link said. Sheik nodded.

_But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.  
_

"The king, Zelda's great great grandfather, distrusted them. He spread lies and rumors. He said that their kindness was a curtain. He said that they were planning to invade and enslave the entire Hylian race."

"What about the Goddesses? Didn't they sense distrust?" Link asked.

_If I try to touch her,  
And I bleed,_

"Apparently, the night before Hyrule's invasion, Hylians prayed to the Goddesses to help them destroy the Nekoi. The Nekoi, not sensing anything amiss, prayed to the Goddesses to protect both races."

"What bullshit."

_I bleed,  
And I breathe,_

"The Goddesses favored Hyrule. According to texts, the entire Nekoi race was wiped out. Areylyn appeared a few years later, dancing on the graves."

_I breathe no more._

"I now feel ashamed to be me." Link said.

"I don't know anything about Areylyn herself, there aren't enough legends." Sheik said.

_Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well._

They both jumped at the sound of a bell. Link drew the Master Sword and Sheik readied throwing knives. They stood back to back, eyes tracing around the room for the sound of the bell. Silence was heard. Link's blue eyes fell on a black cat sitting near the door. It wore a bell, and was carrying a white envelope.

_Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child_

The two relaxed and put away their weapons. They sat down, eyes watching the cat. It walked over and jumped onto Link's lap. It handed him the letter and waited patiently. Link looked at Sheik and shrugged. Link examined the envelope. It was as white as snow. Link's name was written in elegant calligraphy, and there was a strange seal on the back.

_Lie to me,  
Convince me that I've been sick forever._

Link opened the envelope and looked at the letter. The color drained from his face once he read it. Sheik took the letter and read it aloud.

" 'You are invited to a moonlight dance. It will be at midnight tomorrow in the Kakariko Graveyard. Please come by yourself, though I am aware that your Sheikah friend will want to come as well. Please respond before sunset. I will be waiting.' Signed by 'Areylyn'. Well…what are you going to do?" Sheik asked.

_And all of this,   
Will make sense when I get better. _

"I'll go." Once that was said, the cat hopped off of Link's lap and out a window.

"I think you're crazy. For all you know, she'll torture you and then drain you of your blood." Sheik said.

_I know the difference,  
Between myself and my reflection._

Link smiled like a Cheshire cat.

_I just can't help but to wonder,  
Which of us do you love._

"I can't turn down a lady like that. She sent me a formal invitation."

"What are you going to wear?"

"My normal clothes."

"Sword and shield included?"

"Yes.

_So I bleed,  
I bleed,_

Link got nervous after Sheik left. He had a date with a chick who should be dead. What if she wasn't dead? And then again…

_And I breathe,  
I breathe,_

What if she was…?

_I breathe-  
I breathe no more._

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chapter two end!

And it's pronounced Ah 'ray lin

More to come! Dancing! Woot!


	3. Dancing Away the Moonlight

**Borrowed Time**

Moonlight dancing

We can dance with Areylyn

Well…not us…

A dance of illusion

And visions, memories

The song this chapter is…

_Save Me_ by Jem

Go listen to the song…

It's good.

It's on her _Finally Woken_ CD

(thanks her friend Nile for letting her borrow CD)

Anyways…there will be allusions to my other works and to SC2

There will be at least ten chapters to this fic.

singing

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**Borrowed Time**

**Dancing Away the Moonlight**

_Save me_

Link looked up at the almost full moon overhead. He sighed and looked around. The graveyard was silent. No signs of Areylyn. He rubbed his hands together to keep himself warm. Cautiously, he removed his gauntlet and looked at the Triforce scar. It looked darker, almost red. He covered it again and refused to think about it.

_Save me _

_Save me_

"Shall we?" a voice asked.

_I've gotta stop my mind_

Link turned to see Areylyn kneeling on the great grave behind him. She extended her hand. Link took it and hopped up onto the grave. He removed his sword and shield, keeping one eye cautiously on Areylyn.

"No need to be so cautious, but you wouldn't know anything about relaxing…considering all that you have been through."

_Working overtime  
It's driving me insane_

"What would you know about everything I've done?" Link asked coldly.

"Everything."

Haunting and somewhat demonic music was heard. Link watched as the dead rose from their graves and danced. Areylyn took his hand.

_It will not let me live  
Always so negative_

"Shall we?" She asked. Link nodded slowly.

The world around them switched. They were on a glass platform, with imaged flashing beneath them, waiting. They began to dance.

_It's become my enemy_

"I know that you have traversed time simply to save the world." Areylyn said.

_Save me_

"Anyone could know that." Link said.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"I know about the inverted deity, the Weaver."

The images below them flashed to the Weaver, spinning destinies and destroying time.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"I know what happened in your dreams."

Link shuddered. He refused to look at the images below him. Those were experiences that he did not wish to relive. They danced on, the music spurring them on.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"I know about your mother, and that little adventure with werewolves."

Link didn't look again. He kept his eyes on Areylyn. She smiled and continued.

_Why would I think such things_

"I know about you secretly leaving Hyrule to hunt down the Soul Edge."

_  
Crazy thoughts have quick wings_

"I know about the scars that it left behind." Areylyn whispered.

_Gaining momentum fast_

The room went dark. Link froze, and Areylyn released him. A cold blade touched his neck. Link didn't move. He heard scrambling in the dark. The blade receded and Areylyn took his hands again. Light returned again and their little place had changed. There was about an inch of water around them, and there were floating roses around.

_One minute I am fine_

They danced on.

_The next I've lost my mind  
To a fake fantasy_

The next thing Link knew was that he was laying down, with his head on Areylyn's lap. He tried to stand up, but his arms and legs felt heavy. Areylyn ran her fingers through his soft blonde hair. Uncertain beads of sweat appeared on Link's face.

"Your legs gave out." Areylyn said.

_And none of these  
thoughts are real_

"Who…what are you?" Link asked.

"I am the only survivor of the Nekoi massacre. I am an illusionist. I am a dancer." She said, smiling almost sadistically.

_So why is it that I feel  
So cut up and so bad_

Link forced himself up. He felt tired. Areylyn steadied him. Link then noticed that his gauntlet was gone. His scar was exposed. He tried to cover it out of embarrassment. Areylyn held his hand firmly, as if she was studying the scar. She scowled and released his hand.

_I need to take control  
'Cause my mind is on a roll_

"Is something wrong?" Link asked.

Areylyn pulled him to his feet and snapped her fingers. They returned to the graveyard, several graves over from where they left.

_And it isn't listening to me_

They danced a stranger dance, among the dead.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"You are…very bad for the heart." Areylyn said, ghosting over the snow.

"I have that effect on people."

_Save me_

_Save me_

_Save me_

_Save me_

Then, Areylyn stopped. There was a dead silence as the dead stopped as well. Sunken eyes and hollow skulls fell on them. The moonlight was beginning to fade into dawn. The dead began to return to their graves.

_Mirror mirror on the wall  
Who's the dumbest of them all_

"There are things about you that even you don't know." Areylyn said, pulling Link close to her as if he was her girlfriend. Link turned red.

"Such as what?" Link asked, trying to hide his embarrassment.

_Insecurities keep growing_

Areylyn suddenly slammed Link onto the ground, the snow cushioning him slightly. She held him there, as if deciding what to do with him. Link struggled, but the Nekoi was stronger than she looked, much stronger.

_Wasted energies are flowing_

Areylyn's hands wrapped around his neck, tightening slowly. Link clawed at her hands, feeling her blood.

_Anger, pain and sadness beckon_

He felt her tears on his face. She released him. She looked at the blood on her hands, blood that Link had drawn. Link sat up, staring at her blood on his hands.

_Panic sets in in a second_

He reached over for her, to apologize. But he pulled back, almost afraid. Areylyn reacted in the blink of an eye. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly, tears falling in the cold. Link was uncertain of how to react. But then, she vanished. Link lost his balance and fell onto the snow.

_Beware it's just your mind_

"Link!"

Sheik landed softly on the ground as Link pushed himself up. He helped Link to his feet, giving him worried looks about the blood on his hands. Link shuddered.

_You can stop it anytime_

"Are you hurt? What happened? Are you alright?" Sheik asked in a worried voice.

"She knows…a lot about me…" Link said in a shaky voice as he gathered his sword and shield.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"Like what?" Sheik asked.

"She knew about my mother, about Kaos and the werewolves…and she said there is more to tell…" Link said, sighing.

Sheik steadied his friend. The two saw a note in the snow, written in blood. Another invitation, and Sheik was to attend as well.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"She gives us twenty-four hours." Sheik said.

"Shall we make the most of it?" Link asked.

_Save me_

_Save me_

"You are going home and going to bed. You need to rest." Sheik said.

"I'm fine…really." Link protested.

_Save me_

_Save me_

Sheik looked over his shoulder at the sleeping hero-boy on the bed. He rolled his eyes and closed the door. He was first headed to the castle, to get Zelda's opinion without telling her anything. Something told him that this would not end well.

_Ok so here we go_

Link drifted off, deeper and deeper into his dreams.

_If it works I'll let you know_

No one could see the scar begin to bleed again…

_One two three I say stop_

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I have mentioned Candle, Unending Strings, and Razor Blade Eyes.

Chapter three! Done!


	4. Catacomb Waltz

**Borrowed Time**

This chapter is _24_

Also by **Jem**

Also on her _Finally Woken _CD

It is a very fun/scary song if you listen to it and think about it long enough.

Wishing time away

And this chapter puts Sheik in the spotlight!

W00t!

He goes off hunting

And finds fun things

Meanwhile…

Link is drowning in his dreams

And Areylyn is dancing away time

This will be fun

BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

4390459804589589590889659805498

**Borrowed Time**

**Catacomb Waltz**

_Been given 24 hours_

With Link sleeping the day away, Sheik went out. Temporarily borrowing Epona, he shuffled his way over to Lake Hylia. Upon arriving, he headed along the beach towards the other side, to the ruined Nekoi city.

_To tie up loose ends   
To make amends_

Nothing had been touched. Charred buildings and a ruined cathedral were all that remained. Skeletons of the Nekoi people lay in the dirt streets, their once beautiful clothes now torn and ragged by time. None were spared. There were corpses of children huddled together in the inky blackness of buildings.

_His eyes said it all_

Sheik made his way towards the cathedral.

_I started to fall_

The elaborate windows were shattered, glass lying around Sheik's feet. He slowly made his way among the fallen statues and walls, over to the back of the church. The one wall was still standing, the only remaining window depicting none other than...

_And the silence deafened_

"Why have you come?" A voice hissed.

_Head spinning round   
No time to sit down_

Sheik whirled to see Areylyn. Her eyes blazed with fury and she looked ready to kill. Sheik tensed, ready for a minor dose of battle. Areylyn's aura ignited and everything around her seemed to wake. Ghosts from the past emerged, whirling and dancing about. There was a noise, line hearing the dead sing and scream and cry out for mercy. Sheik tried to resist the slumber, but all was in vain.

_Just wanted to  
Run and run and run  
Be careful they say  
Don't wish life away,  
Now I've one day_

Sheik watched as the events transpired behind his closed eyes.

_And I can't believe  
How I've been wasting my time_

Link was missing, and Zelda was about to go find him. She was concerned when Sheik showed up and asked about the Nekoi, and something in the back of her mind cried "HERETIC" over and over. With no other ideas, she went to the Temple of Time to pray.

_In 24 hours they'll be  
Laying flowers  
On my life, it's over tonight_

Upon setting foot in the temple, everything strange happened. Three bursts of light; red, blue and green, appeared on the altar. When the light receded, who would be standing there but the three goddesses themselves. Din, with her arms continually blazing with flame like a phoenix, stepped down first, fire springing up then dying behind her. Farore, with bird wings as part of her arms, had a continuous wind encircling her. Naryu, with crystalline shields on her arms, was the only one who didn't look enraged.

_I'm not messing no I  
Need your blessing  
And your promise to live free  
Please do it for me_

**We know what you are about to ask us.** Din said.

_Is there a heaven a hell_

**We have come to instigate the hunt.** Naryu added.

_And will I come back   
Who can tell_

**The last of the heretics will be destroyed.** Farore remarked.

_Now I can see  
What matters to me  
It's as clear as crystal_

Zelda's mind shut down then and there. She crumpled to the ground with her eyes glazed over and her speech slurred. The three goddesses walked past her and into the world. They began a witch hunt, hunting for Areylyn.

_The places I've been  
The people I've seen  
Plans that I made  
Start to fade_

Sheik woke.

_The sun's setting gold  
Thought I would grow old,  
It wasn't to be_

He knew now. He knew everything about the Nekoi massacre. Areylyn stood over him, now concerned, for she had felt the descent. Sheik sat up and the Nekoi pulled him to his feet.

_And I can't believe  
How I've been wasting my time_

"We must go. Save your friend before they find him." Areylyn said.

_In 18 hours they'll be  
Laying flowers  
On my life, it's over tonight  
I'm not messing no I  
Need your blessing  
And your promise to live free  
Please do it for me_

"What do you mean?" Sheik asked, still not quite awake.

_In 13 hours they'll be  
Laying flowers  
On my life, it's over tonight  
I'm not messing no I  
Need your blessing  
And your promise to live free  
Please do it for me  
_

"The Triforce mark...it's reacting."

_I'm not alone, I sense it, I sense it  
All that I said, I meant it, I meant it_

"Reacting to what?"

_And I can't believe  
How much I've wasted my time  
_

"To Link. It's reacting to him."

_In just 8 hours they'll be  
Laying flowers  
On my life, it's over tonight  
I'm not messing no I  
Need your blessing  
And your promise to live free  
Please do it for me_

"What?"

_In just 1 hour they'll be  
Laying flowers  
On my life, it's over tonight  
I'm not messing no I  
Need your blessing  
And your promise to live free  
Please do it for me_

"The Triforce of Courage is rejecting Link."

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Woo! And update!


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